Oct 17, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) here after undergoing a second coronary bypass operation last month, Tuesday asked for Jalan Petaling "Tofu Fa" to go with his afternoon tea.

"The "Tofu Fa" (soya bean curd) from Jalan Petaling has been my father's favourite since the 1970s as it has its own distinctive taste, so different from that of other places," his son Datuk Mukhriz told reporters when met at the IJN.

He said that Dr Mahathir's appetite had since improved and that he had eaten spaghetti and fruits during lunch time.

Mukhriz, who arrived at the IJN at 3.15pm, spent over three hours with his father and mother Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

"Tun also did some light exercises to strengthen the arm and chest muscles and walked a little to prepare for his discharge from IJN," he said, adding that the former prime minister continued to receive visits, bouquets and fruits from close friends.

On September 22, Dr Mahathir underwent wound debridement surgery at the IJN following his second coronary bypass operation at the institute on September 4.

He had undergone the first bypass operation in 1989 after a heart attack.

Oct 8, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been transferred to the Bunga Raya ward from the Intensive Care Unit of the National Heart Institute (IJN) at noon Monday.

The IJN said in a statement here that the doctors were happy with the former prime minister's progress and will continue with post-surgery rehabilitation including chest and muscle strenghtening exercises.

"Dr Mahathir has also been able to walk unaided since Sunday," said the IJN.

Dr Mahathir, 81, underwent a wound debridement surgery at the IJN on Sept 22 which was carried out by the same team of consultant surgeons who performed a second coronary bypass operation on him on Sept 4.

Despite being transferred to the normal ward, the IJN still limits visitions to immediate family members in order to give the former prime minister adequate rest in between physioteraphy sessions.

His son, Datuk Mokhzani told reporters at the IJN that his father was getting better and `improving a lot'.

"He is not going to be discharged today. It looks like we will be here for Hari Raya. Insya Allah, he will continue to improve and strengthen," he said.

Dr Mahathir's daughter, Datin Paduka Marina in her blog said her father had spaghetti marinara, salad, fruit and pudding for lunch after being transferred to the normal ward.

She said his moving up to the Bunga Raya ward was good enough for the family and Marina also posted some photos of his father on her blog, www.rantingsbymm.blogspot.com.

"I dashed to the IJN and found a whole press scrum downstairs. It seems that someone had told them that dad would be discharged today. Not quite true! But for the moment, the move up to the fifth floor (normal ward) is good enough for us," she said.

Oct 2, 2007

Soon someone is going to sue Malaysia for using "Negaraku", which is similar to a Hawaiian song.

JAKARTA, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- An Indonesian lawmaker has called for an immediate response from the government to Malaysia's use of the traditional Indonesian song "Rasa Sayange" in its "Truly Asia" tourism campaign.

House of Representatives member Hakam Naja of the National Mandate Party said if the government could prove the song belonged to Indonesia, it should sue the Malaysian government.

"The government needs to check on its origin, whether it is from Indonesia or not," the deputy chairman of House Commission X overseeing education and tourism was quoted in a front-page report of the popular "Jakarta Post" daily, today.

Rasa Sayange is believed to have originated in Maluku where it has been sung for generations by people to express their love for the environment.

Hakam said Malaysia has in the past claimed ownership of traditional Indonesian handicrafts such as batik and wayang puppets.

"Such claims are made because of lack of action by the Indonesian government to copyright or patent the nation's heritage. In order to avoid one-sided claims, the government should patent the song immediately," he said.

He also called for an immediate inventory of the country's culture to help protect Indonesia's heritage through patents or copyrights.

"So if someone wants to use cultural elements of Indonesia, there should be compensation for the government, otherwise, other countries will keep trying to undermine us," he said.

Chairman of the Golkar Party faction at the House, Priyo Budi Santoso, as quoted in the report, said the government needed to determine whether Malaysia was using the song without Indonesia's permission.

"If they want to use Indonesia's traditional music, Malaysia should first ask for our permission because that's our country's heritage," he said.

Chairman of Indonesia's Copyright Council, Enteng Tanamal, said suing Malaysia was unlikely to succeed because the song's author was unknown.

"How can we sue Malaysia if nobody knows who wrote the song?" he said, adding that: "Therefore, it's fine if Malaysia uses the song as their tourism theme song."

However, he said, the government could check with the Directorate-General for Patents or the Tourism and Culture Ministry to find the song's writer.

He said Malaysia was not the only party to claim the song.

Ambon in Maluku and Manado in North Sulawesi have been arguing over ownership of the song for generations.